audart
|
A
red, four-tiered pyramid,
embellished
with gold leaf, was created by artist, Ragnar Lagerblad, to hold the
preserved
body of a human baby cyclops. The baby was born in the 1940's just
prior
to World War II. A collection of artifacts was assembled by Scott
Graeber,
as a garden around each tier of the pyramid. The unusual saved, and
often
salvaged, objects included shells, snakeskins, pig snouts, duck heads,
aquatic
animals, quail and human skulls. Tall black antelope horns placed
in
the four corners of the pyramid's top tier, surrounded the tomb of the
baby
cyclops, which was also crowned with an antelope horn. A
luxurious
canopy of red slk soared high above the pyramid.
The construction took weeks to complete, with both artists working on the premises. Each of the artifacts in Graeber's collection was assembled in rows on the floor and glazed with shellac, producing unusual smells throughout the gallery. Lagerblad applied the gold leaf by hand, a painstaking process. Creative Director, Audrey Regan, wanted the shrine built close to the entrance so everyone who entered the gallery would see it and, for the duration of the exhibition, hundreds of questions were asked by visitors. Much has been written about the human cyclops and its place in history, medical science, literature, mythology and the spiritual world. The inclusion of this installation in "The Art & Technology Circus" touched on all of these and, while everyone who viewed the shrine had a notable reaction, very few were negative. "Cyclops" by Angela Peluso, 1997 |